As Christians in Nigeria join the faithful all over the world to celebrate Christmas, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has called on all Nigerians to use the celebration to imbibe the virtues of Jesus Christ and pray for renewed spirit of love, unity and brotherhood amongst Nigerians.
According to a statement Saturday by Deputy Director Press NOA Paul Odenyi, the Director General of NOA, Mallam Issa Onilu, in a Christmas felicitation recalled that Nigeria’s journey of nationhood has always leveraged on occasions such as Christmas to renew the common bond that unites Nigerians, irrespective of religious, tribal or political differences.
He said the birth of Christ symbolized God’s gift of love to humanity which man must also extend to his fellows and therefore stressed the need to emulate the virtues of love, peace, kindness and forgiveness as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
Onilu urged Nigerians to ensure that the practice of sharing love outlives the Christmas season saying that love for all is a panacea to the nation’s challenges.
According to him: ” the NOA would continue to promote good virtues and patriotism for lasting peace and mutuality in the society”
He was optimistic that sustaining the spirit of Christmas would help citizens appreciate the principle of the present administration’s Renewed Hope programme.
The NOA Director General also assured Nigerians that government has put in place adequate security measure to guarantee hitch-free Christmas celebrations, while urging them to remain law abiding and security conscious during and after the Christmas festivities.
